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HomeAbout The CityNews 1,100-Plus Volunteers Registered to take on 80 Projects for CareFest St. Pete September 26

1,100-Plus Volunteers Registered to take on 80 Projects for CareFest St. Pete September 26

St. Petersburg, Fla. (September 24, 2015) – Hundreds of volunteers will participate in various projects, yard work, painting, minor home repairs, neighborhood cleanups and more throughout St. Petersburg neighborhoods on Saturday, September 26, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

CareFest St. Pete 2015 starts and ends at Lake Vista Park, 1401 62nd Ave. S., with group captain check-in and light morning refreshments at 7:30 a.m., followed by projects conducted from 8 a.m. to Noon. Once finished at project sites, participants are invited back to Lake Vista Park for volunteer recognition, lunch and entertainment between noon and 1 p.m. The event wraps up with CareFest organizers presenting certificates to all volunteer groups, starting at noon.

Presented by Somebody Cares Tampa Bay under the umbrella of CareFest USA, the annual week of compassion-related activities culminates with a day of service that gives back to the community – benefiting individual homeowners, neighborhoods, parks, CityTrails and non-profit organizations. The city’s Community Services Department is spearheading the day of service activities in St. Petersburg, where 60 groups and more than 1,100 volunteers are pre-registered and ready to take on 80 projects. For a list of projects, visit http://www.carefestusa.com/projects/pinellas-county/st.-petersburg/ or http://www.stpete.org/ican/ and click on "St. Petersburg CareFest."

In addition to registration at 7:30 a.m. and the wrap-up celebration/lunch at 12 Noon at Lake Vista Park, a few photo opportunities include:

1. Recycled Art project, SE corner of Central Avenue and 26th Street. Adopted by Boy Scouts and City on a Hill Church.

2. Residence, 3530 Third Avenue North. Adopted by the Junior Enlisted Advisory Council, with MacDill Air Force Base, volunteers will be assisting a veteran with interior painting.

3. Clam Bayou Preserve, meet at Perry Bayview Community Playground/Park, corner of 27th Avenue S & 38th Street S. Three groups are registered: Church of Latter day Saints, Westminster Palms and Sam’s Club, more than 300 volunteers will be conducting litter removal, land and waterway cleanup.

In addition to the city of St. Petersburg and Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, CareFest partners include Keep Pinellas Beautiful Inc., Pathfinder Outdoor Education, Friends of Crescent Lake, James B. Sanderlin Center and Somebody Cares St. Petersburg.

The ongoing theme for CareFest is to “Bee Caretagious” throughout the year. The one-day citywide work effort involves some advance prep work at various project sites and homes. Starting with the Mirror Lake cleanup held earlier this month, this is the first year that Carefest includes projects on other days beside the annual event. Additional, upcoming CareFest St. Pete activities include the 49th Street Cleanup with the city of Gulfport on October 3, three events on October 17 and two more on November 7.

For seven years running, St. Petersburg has captured the 'City of Compassion' Care Cup trophy for having the most volunteers among participating bay area communities. Organizers believe CareFest St. Pete succeeds because of the collaborative effort that brings together our neighborhood and community-based groups, houses of worship, corporate teams, school clubs, businesses and individuals.

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